Adventures around the Capital Region area of New York State, as well as the Adirondacks, Catskills, Berkshires and Vermont

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Thursday, May 21, 2015

River Road(Schaghticoke)

Went for an interesting walk along the east banks of the Hudson River today on River Road in Schaghticoke. To find the road, you must follow Route 40 north out of Lansinburgh for about 3 miles and then bear left onto Calhoun Road(Cty Rte 122). As the road reaches the Hudson River, it forks, and this is where you turn left onto River Road. This part of the road is gravel and driveable, albeit very quiet. I followed the road south all the way to the end and parked the car there.

This road continued all the way to Lansingburgh(Pleasantdale) area back in the mid 19th century, but due to severe erosion and continued mudslides of the steep nearby banks, the road proved impossible to upkeep. Today it is still open to the public as a right of way, but is nothing more than an informal foot path along the river.

It does make for a very interesting walk with very pretty river views as well as historical context.

A short distance into the trail walk, I saw the tip of Campbell Island on the river come into view.

Another informal path heads down to the river to a large beachy area. Here is a pleasant view of the Hudson to the south. This made such a peaceful spot, with almost complete solitude-hard to believe you are so close to Lansinburgh.

Turning to the north and west, I took in this stunning panorama. Campbell Island is in the middle.

I pressed on just a bit further, but turned around at a muddy stream crossing, where the Cool Kill drops through Thieves Hollow. Arriving back at the car on the maintained road, I decided to continue my walk from there. Conditions were nearly perfect.

Looking directly out over the northern part of Campbell Island.

There are many nooks and crannies to this part of the Hudson. Here is a nice view south with Campbell Island to the left and the west banks of the river all the way to the right.

The steepest part of the road, where the large, eroding clay banks can be seen to the right.

Lock 1 is the next prominent site, which is found at a large bend in the road. Access to Lock 1 is from the west shore, near the Waterford/ Halfmoon town line.

Looking across the shores to the Lock One Marina.

Another great spot to soak in the river views.

Sun and clouds with a temperature near 70 made it a great day to be out for a leisurely stroll.

A panorama near Lock One to the south and west.

Made for a very nice historical walk, but would love to explore the area further south of Thieves Hollow some other time. There are also many quiet access spots along the road for fishing. Walked a total of just over 2 miles total on a relaxing Thursday afternoon.